entered on my Green party skillz form: >;) muaghahahaha >;)
OCCUPATION / SKILLS: Computer Programmer (server unix/embedded, development environment tools)
DEGREES/DIPLOMAS: BEng Computer Engineering 1.1 (UL)
SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE: Everyone stand back! I know regular expressions.
SPECIAL INTERESTS: science technology music education cycling windsurfing/watersports kites environment ...
Policy on IT, ... Hmmm.
http://greenparty.ie/en/policies/information_technology/information_technology
Oh all of stuff on website is soooo old :( must try and update somewhat
especially: http://www.dspsrv.com/~jamesc/kids/index.html
Friday, 20 June 2008
Sunday, 15 June 2008
camping up North o nthe weekend
Happy Birthday Pauline! :)
We were up in Northern Ireland this weekend camping:
http://www.dspsrv.com/~jamesc/photos/20080515/
Lovely place, Carnfunnock Country Park just North of Larne, lots of big trees and little birds.
Park run by council, was an old estate, has nice country walks, walled gardens lots of things for kids - playground, crazy golf, cute electric carts, bouncy castle. There were horses jumping on Saturday.
http://www.larne.gov.uk/template1.asp?pid=588&area=6&text=1
http://www.carnfunnock.com/>carnfunnock.com
On Friday we flew planes in work (Mike, David and Saf have bought) outside in pub courtyard.
Most exciting was when plane flewup onto nets on top of astro-turf pitch. Uoh ohhh!
It's wheels stuck in net, me clibming and shaking net made it go nose down and more embedded :(
THen Cian threw full bottle up and missed catching it one tine *Sploosh*.
A less full bottle made it go WHEE! zoom up and then Mike started engineso it flew to escapement Uoh ohhh down to road.
Recovered successfully.
Good day, Gerard back from tons of demos of main products and zenoss monitoring the monitoring products too which went well.
Lots of work to do.
At 3:30 or so Fionn & kids collected me and we drove North using Dublin port tunnel.
A bit of traffic in Belfast alright, roadworks. Surprised up North no motorways pretty much but loads of dual carrigeways.
Missed a road to Larne I think but didn't go too far wrong.
Nice to see the sea again and soon at campsite.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10496886038202576987,54.915978,-5.883149&saddr=37+Mt+Eagle+Grove,+Dublin+18,+Ireland&daddr=53.35383,-6.225128+to:Coast+Rd,+Ballygally,+Larne,+County+Antrim,+BT40+2QZ,+United+Kingdom+(Carfunnock+County+Park)&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=12&via=1&sll=53.336613,-6.251221&sspn=0.133252,0.277061&ie=UTF8&ll=54.072283,-6.146851&spn=2.09518,4.432983&z=8
Fionn checks in while kids roll on steep hill.
Then car drive in up steep hill, Humm where to put tent?
Tent up and tea gotten by Fionn.
Amid exuberent young teens encroaching on our personal camping space. oi! :)
We have a lovely tree to scramble on.
We explore a little, walk up a steep hill, kids each have a grumpy moment - not Kate though.
Phew! Bed.
Very full day Saturday. Urgh up 5:30 and bring Kate to loo.
Lots of tweety birds.
Sleep. Up and breakfast 8:30/9ish.
Big breakfast sausages and all. Fionn had managed to drive to shop and back without me noticing!
Then we find the big playground with lighthouse slide. We play in there then Daire plays big chess with Fionn.
Then Daire plays table tennis with Fionn. Then I play teble tennis - Daire starts hammering me and I go 14 - 0 down.
But then I start to get some scores. We go back and forth for ages and I gradually get some points but in end he wins comfortably 21:16 or something. phew! Girls have gone with Fionn to bouncy castle.
We go find them, see trees (a few are marked with name) and see horses jumping, golf, people barbequing, cricket, remote control pirate boats ...
Girls are thirsty and head back to tent.
Daire & I thirsty too, we buy a club orange and play crazy golf.
Then somehow miraculously find girls in the middle of the maze!
Walk up hill at that side, visit wild garden, run down woody hollow, be trolls under half-drained pond, Kate and I explore further over, then back down and rub nose and head of friendly heifir.
THEN ... we must have eaten something?
But we get in car and head North. Maeve collapses asleep. After a bit it is revealed (a bit like Bilbo visiting Beorn) that oh the famous rope bridge and giants causeway are up this direction ... :) We get to rope bridge just in time and get a job to tell person taking tickets at other end that we're last. 1k? walk over me with Maeve, she walks a good bit. Lots of people somehow walk past the last people over. Rope bridge is a bit scary holding a 3yr old's hand! Very nice on the island.
After that on for the Giant's causeway!!
Madness :) We walk down to first turn, visit the beach see some interesting things but head back.
Now looking for food we goto Portrush which has scary young party people all over the place.
On to Coleraine and right in the middle find Italian kindof just stull open 9:30pm and have nice food.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10496886038202576987,54.915978,-5.883149%3B9651638354027809797,55.238790,-6.348010%3B5721550351046306821,55.231714,-6.515337%3B16707423386322783317,55.233170,-6.517250%3B12516532731610591884,55.199310,-6.653980%3B8922713719876197161,55.136190,-6.643200%3B6911609096525310997,55.132590,-6.669150&saddr=Coast+Rd,+Ballygally,+Larne,+County+Antrim,+BT40+2QZ,+United+Kingdom+(Carfunnock+County+Park)&daddr=Whitepark+Rd+%4055.238790,+-6.348010+to:B147%2FCauseway+Rd+%4055.231714,+-6.515337+to:Unknown+road+%4055.233170,+-6.517250+to:Unknown+road+%4055.199310,+-6.653980+to:A29%2FRing+Rd+%4055.136190,+-6.643200+to:Church+Ln+%4055.132590,+-6.669150+to:54.90662,-5.885925&mra=mi&mrcr=4&mrsp=7&sz=9&via=1,5&sll=55.084509,-6.324005&sspn=1.021846,2.216492&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=9
Back to campsite just after midnight.
Kids conked completely.
Adults too.
On Sunday
In morning we got breakfast, packed up (a bit hastily for my relaxed person - for fear of rain I think).
And headed for Belfast after playground.
W5 science museum in Belfast yesterday. wow! It is good fun.
First it wasn't open, we got smoothies and sandwiches.
Then in science museum, we were in the place for young kids for ages.
I made tall wooden tower, figured out chopsticks another wooden construction, ...
THEN we found some of the rest of the place.
Daire & I made electric cars.
Big scalectrix propulsion, click-together plastic whatsitcalled stuff.
Daire had a looong car. extra longness added to add weight to front to keep contact in slot.
I had an ungainly tall wobbly yoke with myriad problems going straight.
Had a monster wheel on front for a while too.
We ran and found girls at fireworks show.
Last poeople in that place too.
It was quiet enough for such a great place!
I also observed later to waider:
All the Northern Irish people seem much less extrovert than people are down here?
And it's really really weird driving where it seems that all the other drivers
know the rules of the road! Especially weird on roundabouts.
(note: I'm totally not extrovert, weird being in a country where your own slightly repressed ? personality type is the norm!)
We were up in Northern Ireland this weekend camping:
http://www.dspsrv.com/~jamesc/photos/20080515/
Lovely place, Carnfunnock Country Park just North of Larne, lots of big trees and little birds.
Park run by council, was an old estate, has nice country walks, walled gardens lots of things for kids - playground, crazy golf, cute electric carts, bouncy castle. There were horses jumping on Saturday.
http://www.larne.gov.uk/template1.asp?pid=588&area=6&text=1
http://www.carnfunnock.com/>carnfunnock.com
On Friday we flew planes in work (Mike, David and Saf have bought) outside in pub courtyard.
Most exciting was when plane flewup onto nets on top of astro-turf pitch. Uoh ohhh!
It's wheels stuck in net, me clibming and shaking net made it go nose down and more embedded :(
THen Cian threw full bottle up and missed catching it one tine *Sploosh*.
A less full bottle made it go WHEE! zoom up and then Mike started engineso it flew to escapement Uoh ohhh down to road.
Recovered successfully.
Good day, Gerard back from tons of demos of main products and zenoss monitoring the monitoring products too which went well.
Lots of work to do.
At 3:30 or so Fionn & kids collected me and we drove North using Dublin port tunnel.
A bit of traffic in Belfast alright, roadworks. Surprised up North no motorways pretty much but loads of dual carrigeways.
Missed a road to Larne I think but didn't go too far wrong.
Nice to see the sea again and soon at campsite.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10496886038202576987,54.915978,-5.883149&saddr=37+Mt+Eagle+Grove,+Dublin+18,+Ireland&daddr=53.35383,-6.225128+to:Coast+Rd,+Ballygally,+Larne,+County+Antrim,+BT40+2QZ,+United+Kingdom+(Carfunnock+County+Park)&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=12&via=1&sll=53.336613,-6.251221&sspn=0.133252,0.277061&ie=UTF8&ll=54.072283,-6.146851&spn=2.09518,4.432983&z=8
Fionn checks in while kids roll on steep hill.
Then car drive in up steep hill, Humm where to put tent?
Tent up and tea gotten by Fionn.
Amid exuberent young teens encroaching on our personal camping space. oi! :)
We have a lovely tree to scramble on.
We explore a little, walk up a steep hill, kids each have a grumpy moment - not Kate though.
Phew! Bed.
Very full day Saturday. Urgh up 5:30 and bring Kate to loo.
Lots of tweety birds.
Sleep. Up and breakfast 8:30/9ish.
Big breakfast sausages and all. Fionn had managed to drive to shop and back without me noticing!
Then we find the big playground with lighthouse slide. We play in there then Daire plays big chess with Fionn.
Then Daire plays table tennis with Fionn. Then I play teble tennis - Daire starts hammering me and I go 14 - 0 down.
But then I start to get some scores. We go back and forth for ages and I gradually get some points but in end he wins comfortably 21:16 or something. phew! Girls have gone with Fionn to bouncy castle.
We go find them, see trees (a few are marked with name) and see horses jumping, golf, people barbequing, cricket, remote control pirate boats ...
Girls are thirsty and head back to tent.
Daire & I thirsty too, we buy a club orange and play crazy golf.
Then somehow miraculously find girls in the middle of the maze!
Walk up hill at that side, visit wild garden, run down woody hollow, be trolls under half-drained pond, Kate and I explore further over, then back down and rub nose and head of friendly heifir.
THEN ... we must have eaten something?
But we get in car and head North. Maeve collapses asleep. After a bit it is revealed (a bit like Bilbo visiting Beorn) that oh the famous rope bridge and giants causeway are up this direction ... :) We get to rope bridge just in time and get a job to tell person taking tickets at other end that we're last. 1k? walk over me with Maeve, she walks a good bit. Lots of people somehow walk past the last people over. Rope bridge is a bit scary holding a 3yr old's hand! Very nice on the island.
After that on for the Giant's causeway!!
Madness :) We walk down to first turn, visit the beach see some interesting things but head back.
Now looking for food we goto Portrush which has scary young party people all over the place.
On to Coleraine and right in the middle find Italian kindof just stull open 9:30pm and have nice food.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10496886038202576987,54.915978,-5.883149%3B9651638354027809797,55.238790,-6.348010%3B5721550351046306821,55.231714,-6.515337%3B16707423386322783317,55.233170,-6.517250%3B12516532731610591884,55.199310,-6.653980%3B8922713719876197161,55.136190,-6.643200%3B6911609096525310997,55.132590,-6.669150&saddr=Coast+Rd,+Ballygally,+Larne,+County+Antrim,+BT40+2QZ,+United+Kingdom+(Carfunnock+County+Park)&daddr=Whitepark+Rd+%4055.238790,+-6.348010+to:B147%2FCauseway+Rd+%4055.231714,+-6.515337+to:Unknown+road+%4055.233170,+-6.517250+to:Unknown+road+%4055.199310,+-6.653980+to:A29%2FRing+Rd+%4055.136190,+-6.643200+to:Church+Ln+%4055.132590,+-6.669150+to:54.90662,-5.885925&mra=mi&mrcr=4&mrsp=7&sz=9&via=1,5&sll=55.084509,-6.324005&sspn=1.021846,2.216492&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=9
Back to campsite just after midnight.
Kids conked completely.
Adults too.
On Sunday
In morning we got breakfast, packed up (a bit hastily for my relaxed person - for fear of rain I think).
And headed for Belfast after playground.
W5 science museum in Belfast yesterday. wow! It is good fun.
First it wasn't open, we got smoothies and sandwiches.
Then in science museum, we were in the place for young kids for ages.
I made tall wooden tower, figured out chopsticks another wooden construction, ...
THEN we found some of the rest of the place.
Daire & I made electric cars.
Big scalectrix propulsion, click-together plastic whatsitcalled stuff.
Daire had a looong car. extra longness added to add weight to front to keep contact in slot.
I had an ungainly tall wobbly yoke with myriad problems going straight.
Had a monster wheel on front for a while too.
We ran and found girls at fireworks show.
Last poeople in that place too.
It was quiet enough for such a great place!
I also observed later to waider:
All the Northern Irish people seem much less extrovert than people are down here?
And it's really really weird driving where it seems that all the other drivers
know the rules of the road! Especially weird on roundabouts.
(note: I'm totally not extrovert, weird being in a country where your own slightly repressed ? personality type is the norm!)
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